Felon accused of raping woman in Nashua eight days after release from jail

NASHUA — Eight days after being released from jail, a city man allegedly dragged a woman into the woods and sexually assaulted her repeatedly.

Ryan Howe, 47, with no fixed address, is facing numerous felony charges for the attack, which happened on Oct. 4 at approximately 6 p.m. in the woods behind Grand Avenue.

Police say Howe and the woman knew each other, and he approached her as she exited a store in the area of Ledge and Central streets.

The two walked together for a short time before heading onto a dirt road, when Howe suddenly changed his behavior and began verbally abusing her, according to court documents on file at the 9th Circuit Court, Nashua District Division.

The woman, 50, told police that Howe grabbed her by the hair, dragged her into a wooded area, forced her onto the ground and straddled her, court records say. He allegedly slammed her head into the ground multiple times, also striking her face and biting her before sexually assaulting her several times, according to the affidavit.Howe is accused of placing his forearm into her mouth to stop the woman from screaming during the attack.

A neighbor reported the incident to police after he heard a woman screaming from the woods, court records say.

Anderson responded to the area and located the woman. She was taken to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for an injury to her jaw and bruises on different areas of her body.

While questioning witnesses, a second neighbor told police she also heard a female scream at least three times upon returning home from work on Oct. 4.

The victim told police she yelled for help after hearing a man walking his dog in the area, and that Howe then fled the woods by jumping over a fence and running, says the affidavit.

Just hours before the attack, Thomas Rendleman called police when Howe arrived at his Central Street residence allegedly threatening him and the victim. Rendleman told police that he feared the woman was going to get hurt because Howe was stalking her.

Howe was released from the Hillsborough County House of Correction on Sept. 26, according to court documents. He was previously arrested in Nashua for a separate domestic violence incident, court records say.

In the latest crime, Howe was charged with four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, four counts of domestic violence simple assault, three counts of simple assault, and one count each of criminal restraint and criminal threatening. He is being held on $10,000 cash bail and will be back in court on Wednesday for a probable cause hearing.khoughton@newstote.com